South Carolina’s Attorney General Tries to Raise His Profile by Going After Craigslist and Persecuting Prostituted Women

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster told The State newspaper that to his knowledge, South Carolina is the first state to explore the possibility of criminal charges against CEO Jim Buckmaster and other top officers of the San Francisco-based company.

â€œThey’ve allowed prostitution to go on there and allowed obscenity to go on there,”McMaster said.”It’s a blatant violation of South Carolina law.”

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster asserted in response that Craigslist has decreased misuse dramatically by requiring those who advertise in the erotic services section to pay a fee with a valid credit card and provide a working telephone number.

â€œWe urge Attorney General McMaster to look closely at the facts before proceeding with his threat,”Buckmaster said.

… he has given Craigslist officials until 5 p.m. May 15 to shut down the erotic services section and remove obscene pictures from the South Carolina portion of the site.

If that doesn’t happen, McMaster said, he will seek to charge Buckmaster and other company officials under state prostitution or obscenity laws. If twice convicted of aiding and abetting prostitution, for example, Buckmaster could be extradited to South Carolina upon a third charge, which carries a minimum one-year prison sentence and a $3,000 fine, he said.

â€œI think that’s what it’s going to take to get anything done,”said McMaster, a Republican who is a probable candidate in next year’s governor’s race.”The time for talking is over.”